What Did You Do Today (2017)

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

We clearly had similar experiences. Student accommodation with only 3 amp round pin sockets to stop you making toast in your room. Old ministry buildings that didn't waste the taxpayers money by changing the old round pin 5 and 15 amp sockets to 13 amp square pin. Of course, after we were contractorised and had private industry management that all changed – the whole building was re-wired and then knocked down a year later. Such is progress – costs were the same but with an added 10% for the management company.

Rod

[John GardenerParticipant @johngardener91897]

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 06/11/2017 11:34:59:

Posted by Roderick Jenkins on 06/11/2017 09:50:19:

Posted by Sam Longley 1 on 06/11/2017 07:33:02:

What is the betting that in a minute these 2 are going to find that they had a long lost daughter together that they never knew about

Unlikely. There was no room for me in the hostel so I was billeted in the "officers mess", which was populated by unsociable long term inmates – I went home at weekends.

Rod

Yes I suppose so- one would be careful about a bloke who goes around looking at the pin holes in UK plug sockets . I wonder how many do that sort of thing!!!.

Dare not Google it,— in case I get a visit from the "authorities"

( he says as he ducks below parapet)

If you want to chance a 'visit' tryse nding amess ageli kethi sinfi velett ergro psoka

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I worked at dehaviland (spelling) at Hatfield years ago. Walked past a water tank with a short section of Comet fuselage in it every day. I never thought to ask what is was for. If it was used for pressure testing the body ends must have been plugged somehow. This was a few years after the stress problems were discovered.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Remember moving by road one of the Comet pressure test fuselages in the early sixties, can't remember where from, I think it ended up at RAF Abingdon. The remains of the water tank used for pressure testing the Comets at Farnborough were still in place when I was there a few years ago, obviously left as some sort of memorial to our brief lead in world jet passenger liner domination, if only the British aviation industry had the money that the Amreicans had then perhaps we would still be leading the aviation world.

Dave

[larry PhelanParticipant @larryphelan54019]

Not a lot !!

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by larry Phelan on 08/11/2017 18:38:31:

Not a lot !!

Nor me. Spent four hours today composing an email to my solicitor on the subject of my nightmare divorce, originally commenced over two years ago

[Steve PaveyParticipant @stevepavey65865]

I cleared some tools from my late dad’s workshop some time ago. He had a toolmakers chest packed with drills and taps, various hand tools and some specials obviously made for a particular job (he worked at Vickers during the war in a department headed by Barnes Wallis). So today I’ve been making a display cabinet from teak, with a baize backboard on which I will wire some of the more interesting items – hopefully ready in time to give it to my mother for Christmas.

He became a teacher in around 1950 – head of the engineering and woodwork department at a grammar school, which I went to as well and was taught by him. Although I hated having my father at the same school as me, he was fortunately well-liked by all the pupils. I can remember him using some of the tools, especially his Moore and Wright micrometer which was always in the pocket of his white coat, ready to check our work. His workshop door had his nameplate on it – he must have prised  it off on the day he retired, as I found it in the chest – and will be included on the display board. I’ll take a photo or two when it’s done.

Edited By Steve Pavey on 08/11/2017 20:17:36

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Lost internet connection this morning, virgin media's fault, again, 'oh dear' was my comment, or words to that effect ​ anyways got it back by lunchtime but had to go through some apps as they had gone AWOL in their settings especially my printer scanner set up, had to mess around reinstalling app with updates so have ended up with HP original set up & Win 10 printer/scan app. Always happens when Windows updates itself, leaves you with stuff you don't need, or want, can't leave well enough alone, if it aint broke don't fix it is my motto, but MS love to F*** about with it, anyway all's well that ends well tonight .

George.

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

Posted by Roderick Jenkins on 06/11/2017 12:30:37:

Old ministry buildings that didn't waste the taxpayers money by changing the old round pin 5 and 15 amp sockets to 13 amp square pin. .

Rod

I could swear that the pins on a 13 plug & socket are rectangular. (he says ducking quickly)

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Re. the Comet's square windows etc., my first operational tour was on Valettas with (as on the similar Varsity) square windows. No pressurisatrion on either, of course, although I did one trip across the North Sea in the Varsity) where we 'topped out' at 25,000'. Never any window problems on either type but the Valetta (as with the Vikings) suffered from main spar cracking and (in one case) a wing foldDifferent basic problem, of course, but Comet or Valetta et al, the root cause was metal fatigue. Aviation safety is based on other people's lives lost!!

rgds

Bill

[RobinParticipant @robin]

OMG you are all so old, I remember round pin sockets but not everyone was lucky enough to have one.

I was born and raised in 1950's Oxford. There were a lot of students in bedsits. It was amazing how many of those Bakelite Y adapters they could daisy chain in to one light socket without the ceiling catching fire

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

You can still buy 1A and 5A round pin plugs and sockets.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

I was browsing the new MK Cat and noticed the 5 & 15A ones in there.

 

Edited By V8Eng on 09/11/2017 08:43:36

[Tony JeffreeParticipant @tonyjeffree56510]

Posted by Steve Pavey on 08/11/2017 20:16:37:

I cleared some tools from my late dad’s workshop some time ago. He had a toolmakers chest packed with drills and taps, various hand tools and some specials obviously made for a particular job (he worked at Vickers during the war in a department headed by Barnes Wallis).

Edited By Steve Pavey on 08/11/2017 20:17:36

Hi Steve

That is interesting – one of my late uncles worked at Vickers, also in Barnes Wallis's department, during the war. He almost certainly worked with your dad. He talked about being stationed with the Dam Buster squadron as a technician during the raids and having to de-fuse one of the bombs that failed to release over the target and returned to base still in the Lancaster – he was the only person on the station at the time that knew how to de-fuse it. Scary stuff.

Regards,

Tony

[Andy CarruthersParticipant @andycarruthers33275]

Today I mostly bought this…

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

Steve Pavey says, of his engineer dad:

His workshop door had his nameplate on it – he must have prised it off on the day he retired …

I bet he didn't. He used the screwdriver he made as an apprentice to unscrew the four slotted screws, and he put the screws in a Colmans Mustard tin at the end of the top shelf and next to his reserve tin of engineers blue. Just in case they might come in useful.

Cheers, Tim

[RobinParticipant @robin]

Posted by Andy Carruthers on 09/11/2017 15:00:29:

Today I mostly bought this…

Glorious. Do you have a use for it or was there simply no good reason not to buy it?

[HOWARDTParticipant @howardt]

Got fed up with sawing through 50mm bar and took up Machine Marts vat free offer. Now the owner of a 6×4 1/2 bandsaw. I noticed the weight before I bought it but it was a swine to lift onto its legs, they should fix the saw so that you can lift it without it pivoting. Still, managed it in the end. Tried a cut and all seems square. Will use it before seeing what, if anything needs improving.

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Andy Carruthers on 09/11/2017 15:00:29:

Today I mostly bought this…

You need to stop posting pictures and provocative statements like that. I have nearly bought about six different shapers off eBay now, and i don't know how much longer I can resist

[Andy CarruthersParticipant @andycarruthers33275]

Surprisingly I do have a use for the shaper – but she is a "thing of beauty" in her own right

Converted to single phase and seen working but not under load

There's also an element of "I just want one" too, and I'm hoping the seller calls me with a decent Colchester but not for 6 months or so as I expect to be moving

[RobinParticipant @robin]

I might have mentioned that I just bought my first ever broach to try, but that now seems so totally pathetic I probably didn't buy one after all

[Andy CarruthersParticipant @andycarruthers33275]

Ah sorry Robin, broaching is beyond my experience yet

Frankly I have *so* much to learn here, I have basic skills only – the shaper presented an opportunity I couldn't refuse, and only 35 miles away too

@David, I admire your will power – so far

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I heard from Stub Mandrel today.

He received an email from the lawyer of a deceased member of the Mandrel family, asking if he wanted to claim the estate.

Strangely the email address was for another Mandrel family member and did not contain any details of the solicitors involved aside from a name.

Nonetheless Stub awaits great riches for little effort.

Neil

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 10/11/2017 08:26:29:

I heard from Stub Mandrel today.

He received an email from the lawyer of a deceased member of the Mandrel family, asking if he wanted to claim the estate.

Strangely the email address was for another Mandrel family member and did not contain any details of the solicitors involved aside from a name.

Nonetheless Stub awaits great riches for little effort.

Neil

Have you been sniffing glue again?

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Did the other Mandrel family live in Nigera?

Ian S C

[Author]

Posts